Guys glam up before Navratri

With Navratri around the corner, men are indulging themselves with beauty and spa treatments.

With Navratri just a few days away, grooming has become an all consuming affair. Interestingly, it's not limited to women only. New-age men are willing to put their best face forward by having their share of beauty treatments like waxing, body polishing, pedicure, and manicure. As the festive mood envelops the air, salons and spas are finding it difficult to deal with increasing number of male visitors. Avni Saraf, a spa owner from Surat feels that with changing times, looking good is no longer just a woman's prerogative. "Men have really become aware of their looks and are now consciously indulging in beauty treatments and spa services. Navratri is a time when even men want to look good. Head and body massages, body exfoliation and pedicures are quite the rage." There are a range of products and services available for men in various spas and salons, Riyaz Afzal Siddiqui who runs a salon says, "Men are often more conscious about their looks compared to some women. Men mostly come for styling, highlights or coloring." Flaunting a cool hairstyle has become the 'in' thing now. "Men come for weekly haircuts before Navratri and opt for hair gels and hair wax to style their hair during the nine nights," he adds. It's not surprising when special face packs, clean-up sessions and exfoliation treatments for men are available in salons to get that festive glow. Manisha Atulkar, a cosmetologist says, "Men mostly avail of facials, body massages, skin treatments and hair care facilities." So what is it that makes these men tread the 'beauty' path? Raghav Sethi, a businessman says, "It's a basic need to look and feel good now. Going to parlors for waxing, facials and massage is common now and it makes one feel clean, and relaxes the body and mind." It's not just a woman's domain to look good anymore. Men are equally enthusiastic about looking good. Abhishek Vazarani, an MBA student says, "If a woman can look good, why can't men? And for that, it's perfectly natural for them to go to salons/spas. Navratri is a time when people want to look good and make an impression. So the gender is not important here." How much one spends for these beauty treatments? Lee Singh, owner of a famous unisex salon says, "Men generally spend between 2000 and 4000 per sitting. With Navratri round the corner, we have men who come twice or thrice a month for facials, pedicures or hair spas that start from anything between 1500 and 2000 per sitting." shivangani.dhawan@timesgroup.com